Three teenagers robbed a sex worker in Singapore after one of them saw a similar offence carried out on a television show.

According to The Straits Times, Theophileous Jebaraj, 16, John Karan Karunakaran, 18, and an unnamed 14-year-old boy were "inspired" by an episode of Crimewatch featuring cases in which sex workers were robbed.

ST reported that Theophileous and John pleaded guilty on June 28, 2019 to one count each of committing armed robbery.

The 14-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, was convicted on May 15, 2019 but has yet to be sentenced.

The Crimewatch episode

While court documents did not reveal details about the Crimewatch episode, videos that we found on YouTube show an episode from 2017 which depicted sex workers being robbed.

Crimewatch Singapore's Facebook page also features an advert for a 2017 episode where a gang of robbers targeted foreign sex workers.

Out from the Boys' Home

Deputy Public Prosecutor Tay Jia En told the court that Theophileous ran away from a boy's home in September last year when the trio committed the offence, reported ST.

He had been sentenced to serve 18-months at the Singapore Boys' Home on October 24, 2017, and was allowed to leave the home temporarily on September 2, 2018.

However, he failed to return and instead met up with the two other teenagers.

John was on probation, though neither his nor Theophileous' offences were specified in court documents.

According to Today, the teenagers met on September 3, 2018 to discuss how they could solve their "financial problems".

Seeking to gain cash fast, the 14-year-old boy suggested that they steal mobile phones.

This idea was rejected by Theophileous, in favor of robbing sex workers. He had recalled seeing an episode of Crimewatch where sex workers were robbed. They then decided to replicate the offence.

After discussing the idea, the trio agreed that sex workers would be a safe target because the illicit nature of their work meant that they would have "vulnerabilities and insecurities".

The robbery

After an online search, the trio decided to rob two illegal sex workers from China who lived in a rented flat in Woodlands.

They arrived at the flat on September 5, 2018 at around 11:30pm, where one of the sex workers brought Theophileous into a room.

Once inside, he took out a fruit knife and pointed it at her while demanding cash.

Fearing for her life, the sex worker acquiesced to Theophileous' demands, allowing him to take S$100 from her after searching the room.

Theophileous then left the room and asked the two other boys to search for valuables, though court documents did not state if they found any before fleeing the scene.

The victim's housemate then made a police report four days later on September 9.

Reformative training

Unrepresented in court, Theophileous and John pleaded with District Judge May Mesenas for leniency, according to Today.

They also said that they wanted to apologize to the victim and recompense her for her loss.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Marshall Lim told the court that Theophileous and John had perverted and twisted a public education programme, using it as motivation to commit their crimes.

He was quoted by Today as saying: "The facts are pretty serious. They were not acting on the spur of the moment."

Mesenas asked for an assessment of Theophileous and John's suitability for reformative training, which includes being detained at a centre and following a strict regimen of foot drills and counselling.

Convictions for armed robbery can carry jail terms between three and 14 years, as well as at least 12 strokes of the cane.

Proceedings on the case will recommence on July 18, 2019.

Top image from Blue Global YouTube channel and Crimewatch Singapore Facebook page